In February of 2013, I had the opportunity to be on the bill with Stacy Mitchhart at the Cincinnati Winter Blues Fest, and today I will be reviewing his album “Gotta Get The Feeling Back Again.”

In Nashville, Stacy can be heard several times a week at the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. This album reflects his house band mentality with a collection of well written swing and dance tunes like “I Can’t Get Enough Of Your Lovin,” “The Blues Has Got You Bad,” and “Better Off Without You.” Each of these songs has a familiar groove and a singable payoff line that would satisfy any modern blues fan. I also like that this album really sounds like a group of well-rehearsed musicians playing together in a room (an added benefit of a dense performance schedule).

Even though this album came out about 8 years ago, many of these tracks could easily be used in blues playlists today. I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard a cut from this album on the WYEP Rollin’ and Tumblin’ blues program while I was driving home from a show on a Saturday night.

To add a bit contrast to this strong blues club set, tracks like “Given Me Reasons” and “Doghouse Blues” provide more traditional melodies. For example, “Given Me Reasons” appears to be loosely based on the lasting tune “Sittin on Top of the World.” Furthermore, the double-timed instrumental “Blow On Them Baby” and the final track “Blue Monday” provide space for impressive guitar work to be at the forefront for a bit.

Lastly, the track that stands out to me most in this set is the Led Zeppelin medley (…or Led Zeppelin / Willie Dixon medley). Stacy’s guitar part on “Black Dog” morphs the well-known rock riff into a nice bluesy response line, so I thought it should be this review’s accompanying transcription. The original Jimmy Page run is already accurately documented on line, so I would suggest you learn both and figure out your own cool way to play it.